charitable giving

When natural disasters occur ordinary people around the world are anxious to help those affect. But whom should they trust with their money? Governments may be corrupt or simply inept and even the venerable Red Cross has squandered hundreds of millions in donations. Jasmina Kelemen explains how to help, with confidence.

Some images feel like they’re flooding your living room: a frightened mother jammed into a motorboat, an elderly man clutching a sodden dog — the tiny huts swept into kindling on a remote island. Who in the family turns off the TV? Who calls the charity hotline in the neighboring state? And who pulls out a credit card to help someone on the other side of the world? Rice Professor Vikas Mittal says the answer has to do with gender.